The Gilded Margin

Favorites Friday| The Gilded Margin

Here’s something fascinating about Practical Magic:

The movie we now treat like an essential autumn tradition wasn’t initially the giant cultural phenomenon you might assume it was.

The 1998 film arrived with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as Sally and Gillian Owens.

It had witches.

It had romance.

It had magic.

It had sisterhood.

It had black cats.

It had a house that practically became a character.

And it had one of the most recognizable witchy aesthetics of the late ’90s.

But its reputation didn’t stop at the box office.

Over the years, Practical Magic developed a devoted cult following—and that audience kept the movie alive long after its original theatrical run. Reuters described the original as a cult classic nearly three decades after its release. (Reuters)

And I think that’s part of what makes the Practical Magic phenomenon so interesting.

It isn’t really just about witches.

At its heart, Practical Magic is about women.

Sisters.

Aunts.

Mothers.

Daughters.

Friendships.

Grief.

Love.

Family history.

And the complicated ways people inherit things from the generations before them.

The magic is almost a language for all of that.

And that gives the story a life beyond the supernatural.

Then the aesthetic took on a life of its own.

The Owens house.

The candles.

The midnight margaritas.

The herb garden.

The black clothing.

The long hair.

The spell books.

The Victorian architecture.

The little rituals.

The soundtrack.

Suddenly Practical Magic wasn’t just a movie you watched.

It became a fall mood board.

And that’s one reason the story has remained so recognizable.

You don’t necessarily have to remember every plot point to recognize the feeling.

You see a black cat sitting beside a candle…

And somebody immediately says:

“Practical Magic.”

That’s cultural staying power.

And now, nearly 30 years later, Sally and Gillian are back on the big screen.

Which brings us to the question:

Did you grow up loving Practical Magic—or did you discover it later?

Because I have a feeling there are two kinds of people:

People who have always loved this movie…

And people who are about to realize they’ve been missing out.